“To be honest, I expected to attend this ceremony through a screen, dressed in my oversized hoodie, with my trusty portable fan,” joked Salutatorian Trisha Reddy Yerragudi as she addressed Columbus North’s Class of 2021.
The graduates had commencement on North’s football field Saturday. In spite of some unseasonably cold weather, the in-person setting was undoubtedly a welcome change to most families after last year’s virtual ceremony due to the pandemic.
There were still some visible changes due to COVID-19, including the outdoor setting, masks on participants and a six ticket limit per senior.
And, of course, the events of the past year were mentioned by the event’s speakers.
Superintendent Jim Roberts commended graduates for their “patience, flexibility and resilience” amid challenges.
“You have endured quite the tumultuous time,” he said. “You have persevered. You have arrived at this time, this place, prepared to start this next race of your life, a race that takes you into the real world.”
Student Body President Maxwell Scott Wilson said he and his peers faced a “titanic roadblock” that disrupted their normal routines. He said that they adapted and overcame the challenge — but now, he added, even more changes await them as they move on to the next stage of their lives.
Maxwell encouraged his fellow graduates to “live resiliently” amid these changes.
“COVID-19 has been a true testament to our abilities to adapt, and we are better for it,” he said. “COVID affected this class more than most, granted us the realization that while a change in routine may be stressful or scary, we will look back and be grateful for the change and its impact on our lives. Our class had an experience no other class ever has or ever will, and we are all better prepared for any future obstacles because of it.”
Valedictorian Arturo Lopez Caullieres also issued his classmates a challenge — to seize the day. He reflected on how students have used their time outside of school for different pursuits, whether it be sports, a job, studying or spending time with friends.
At times, Arturo wonders if he should have spent more time with friends and family. He asked his audience to think about time well spent and time they’ve wasted. For the latter, he encouraged them to imagine what they could’ve done with it — whether it be making memories, pursuing an important goal or even, he joked, “sleeping a little bit more.”
Arturo concluded by encouraging his class to make the most of their time.
“Although I can’t go back and change the past, we can always change the future,” he said.
Class President Lauren Kay Hartwell compared students’ time at North to a fish bowl — one that students now leave to go to a new fish tank. She encouraged her peers to carry forward the lessons learned into their new environments.
“The world is an ocean of opportunities,” she said, “and we are just learning how to swim.”
Principal David Clark also offered encouragement to students as they enter the larger world.
“When I reflect upon the last 441 days from March 13 to today, I am humbled by your characteristics,” he said. “… You have shown grit and determination. Into that tapestry you have woven flexibility and creativity. You have prepared yourself for a world that now needs you — your knowledge, your wisdom and your kindness.”
Clark said that graduates have endured complex challenges and are the better for it, referencing a Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. quote regarding “simplicity on the other side of complexity.”
“Throughout your life, there will always be some complexity,” he added. “Because you have paid the price it takes to get through this figurative storm, now you have a pattern to find simplicity on the other side of complexity. Don’t forget the pattern.”
In addition to complexity, Trisha said high school has also been full of unexpected experiences.
“When in life — and when in high school, specifically — curveballs are thrown into the paths we were envisioning for ourselves, it can be easy for the negative feelings to take over,” she said. “Grief, reluctance, disappointment, feelings that make it feel like the end of the world — or, at least, the end of the world as we know it.”
Trisha discussed the uncertainty brought on by the pandemic and the feeling of “disempowerment” as plans were changed and beloved events, such as junior prom and athletic competitions, were cancelled.
However, while COVID-19 will undoubtedly have a “lasting impact” on seniors’ lives, these battles do not define them or cancel out their achievements, she said.
“The uncertainty face, as fearful as it was, is not unknown to us,” Trisha said. “It was there on the first day we walked into this building, looking for classrooms and new faces, and it will continue to be there as we find new jobs and explore new relationships, as we settle down and as we start anew. So let’s embrace this uncertainty.”
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Number of graduates: 421
Valedictorian: Arturo Lopez Caullieres
Salutatorian: Trisha Reddy Yerragudi
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A livestreamed video of North’s ceremony is available on the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp.’s YouTube channel.
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For more photos, go to therepublic.com.
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